Being mom to a child with several food sensitivities identifies me with a new world, one of caution and education. I never knew reading labels and ingredients could become second nature, who knew that artificial colors and additives could create time bombs, that wheat and dairy could turn a child into a tantrum whirlwind...learn about our journey into the new world of food sensitivities and what they mean. THIS WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING!

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Friday, November 4, 2011

Coconut yogurt

I finally found the key to easy, thick and creamy coconut yogurt!! Coconut cream!!

When you make your own yogurt, you avoid cross contamination issues, preservatives, refined sugars, food coloring and you can control the bacteria strains used. For those who have kids with PANDAS or sensitivity to yeast, that is key to being able to have yogurt at all, because most yogurt is made with S. Thermophilus which is a strep strain that can flare PANDAS.

I used a dehydrator for this recipe, to incubate the yogurt at a consistent, low temperature, but you can use a yogurt maker or store the jar in an insulated cooler.

Homemade Coconut Yogurt

3 cartons of the coconut cream linked above. If you can find another source, it just needs to be thick like heavy cream.

Glass or ceramic containers with lids (do not use metal). I use a Pyrex container and I place a small plate upside down on top of it while it incubates, then use the plastic lid during refrigeration.

Sterilize your yogurt containers, mixing spoons and other utensils with boiling water. This will keep bad bacteria from competing with the good bacteria.

In a saucepan, bring coconut milk to 170-185 degrees, then remove from heat. Bringing it to just boiling is ok, but watch it closely. (Do NOT microwave, which harmfully alters the chemical structure of the milk).
Some say you don’t have to heat coconut milk very much, because it usually comes from sterile containers. However, if you have made your own coconut milk, make sure you’ve heated it to at least 180 degrees, or you risk of contamination with Burkholderia cocovenenans or other harmful bacteria.

Add maple syrup or honey and stir thoroughly. The sweetener provides food for the bacterial culture and will be mostly consumed by the time your yogurt is done. Without a natural form of sugar, coconut milk will not culture.

Cover (I just lay a clean kitchen towel over the top) and cool to 105-110 degrees. It is very important that you allow the temperature to drop so as not to kill the bacterial culture you are going to introduce. It takes a fair amount time to cool to 110, so go do something else in the house for a while.

Remove about 1/2 cup of cooled coconut milk, and add either 1/4 cup of plain coconut yogurt (from your previous batch) or 1/4 tsp. of your probiotic. (You should save 1/4 cup of your homemade yogurt as a starter for the next batch.) Stir well.

Thoroughly mix the inoculated batch back in with the remainder of the cooled coconut milk.

Pour cultured milk into any appropriately-sized, shallow glass or enamel containers, cover and let stand at 105-110 degrees for 8-24 hours, to a maximum of 29 hours. The longer you ferment the yogurt, the less sugar it will contain and the more sour it will taste. Check for taste at 8 hours, but note that if you want all the sugar to be fully consumed by the bacteria, you will need to ferment for at least 18 hours.

To keep the correct temperature for the culture, I use my Excalibur dehydrator set at about 105 degrees, and place the containers on the bottom, away from the heating element. You can also use a temperature-adjustable heating pad or crockpot, or put a 60-Watt bulb in your oven and leave the light on. No other heat is needed. Remember, too high a temperature will kill the bacterial culture; too low of a temperature will prevent proper fermentation. You will know you have done it right by the proper yogurt-sour smell and taste.

After 8–24 hours, remove from heat, stir to an even consistency and refrigerate.

Once fully cooled, you can stir in fresh fruit, vanilla, nuts, oats, or any other flavoring you desire.

Your yogurt should smell and taste sour—like yogurt. If you notice any “off” or foul odors, mold, or pink splotches on the surface, discard and try again, making certain all your implements are sterile, and that you’ve both well-heated your milk prior to culturing, and cultured at the correct temperature. Your yogurt might have separated with a cloudy liquid on the bottom. This is usually not a problem, as long as everything else smells and tastes OK. Just mix well and enjoy.

My candy thermometer has mercury in it, I am EXTRA cautious with it, not leaving it laying around. I don't even put it in the sink, I immediately wash it and put it in the drawer to avoid a possible accident.

The incubation step is done in my dehydrator, set to a low temp of about 105 degrees. You can also incubate in an oven with the light on (it keeps the oven warm) or in a cooler lined with towels to keep the heat in.

I don't know how good the digital thermometers are, but I know I always have trouble with my digital meat thermometers breaking very soon after buying them, not sure why. Here is a digital candy thermometer at Amazon, they also have a bunch of other candy thermometers you could check out -

My oven doesn't go that low, but if yours does, that would be great. If it doesn't, the light in the oven is usually enough to heat it up and keep the container warm enough to incubate. Just keep the oven door closed and the light on.

We LOVE our dehydrator!! It's great for making the yogurt, fruit roll ups, dehydrated snacks that are raw rather than cooked and denatured, you can even make beef jerky! I bought the 5 tray Excalibur. It's one of the better ones out there.

Interesting. I used the boxed coconut cream and mine was creamy when it was at 180, but then, was solid when it cooled to 110. I tried adding lots of coconut milk to make it smooth when it went into the dehydrator, but it came out solid again after 8 hours in the excalibur. I just put a scoop of the results into a smoothie with some fruit to use it up. Disappointing.

That is really strange, was it the same brand I've used? I make it regularly and have never had it get hard like that. Maybe there was a high content coconut oil in that container, it hardens in the fridge.

Where it all started - See my first post, the reality that we were dealing with food sensitivities

About Me

I am a stay at home mom of two beautiful boys. They are the light of my life. They have changed me at the core. I hope to spread awareness of how our children, from conception on, hold a very important piece of who we are and who we will become. Our older son once had an ASD and PANDAS diagnosis, both of which lead us on this incredible journey. My children have inspired me to think out of the box and believe in the unseen.